The Algarve in southern Portugal opens for tourists this summer and will be welcoming international visitors once travel restrictions are lifted.
Jo?o Fernandes, president, Algarve Tourism, commented: ?The country was quick to adopt preventive measures and extensive testing at an early stage to mitigate the spread of the pandemic, and as a result we have had much fewer cases than other European countries. Algarve is one of the least affected regions in Portugal, we are now in a position to carefully plan a gradual reopening of its economic and social activity.?
Timelines
-Golf courses, marinas and car hire businesses are already open with strict health protocols
-Hotels - Over a third of the region?s hotels are open already, by June 75% are expected to open and by July most will be open
-Beaches will open in June, with health regulations and procedures in place
-Restaurants will open on May 18 with 50% capacity restrictions
-Water parks will open in June and July
Rules are being defined for the access of beaches, which will be issued by the Portuguese Environment Agency shortly. They will allow the use of these space while guaranteeing safety for visitors and workers.
Fernandes said: ?It will be nothing that prevents a vacationer from enjoying a nice sunny day on the sand or an appetizing dip in the sea, but taking care of the necessary rules applicable to the spaces and collaborators supporting the beaches.?
Zoomarine will open in June, Slide & Splash mid-June and Aquashow water park in July. Parks capacity will, however, be reduced with the compulsory use of masks in closed areas.
Visitors will find measures in place at Faro International Airport on arrival, in accordance with Health Entities and the National Civil Aviation Authority instructions. These include temperature measurement at arrivals, hand sanitizers at all points of the terminals, signage and disclosure of the use of a mask at the terminal, warnings for the need for extra hygiene care and the need for physical distance, installation of personal protections in service counters, reinforcement of cleaning of spaces and equipment with hospital-level disinfectants and use of UV equipment, among other measures.
Fernandes said: ?The priority now is to reassure all in general that their safety is our first concern. Algarve is very well prepared, as attested by the rapid adhesion of companies to the ?Clean & Safe? seal. Algarve has 271 hotels, 176 tourist entertainment companies and 177 travel agencies, duly certified by this initiative of Turismo de Portugal, who pioneered this worldwide. We are also finalising a Manual of Good Practices ?Algarve Clean & Safe?, which should be presented at the end of this week. ?
The number of COVID-19 cases since January in the Algarve has been just 340, much less than most other southern European countries.
